Brassiere



L. SPARE Jan, 12, 1937 BRASSIERE Filed Feb. 17, 1936 INVENTOR L0 Z8 Spare M 0 32 /AT; W.

Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED fs'mrl-zs PATENT OFFICE ans-Iss4 mussm'an Lola Spare. L0! Anreles, Cfl'lf.

Application February 1-1, 1936, Serial No. 04,215

1 Claim- (01. 2-42) The present invention relates to improvements in bust supports, and more particularly pertains to an improved construction of a brassiere especially suitable for the well developed or heavy-breasted women.

Until the present time many of the brassieres were constructed so that a simple compression of the breast was relied upon for the support thereof. Obviously, such application of pressure is-undesirable', and even injurious, since the blood vessels, as well as the glands and/or muscles of the breasts are prevented from functioning properly. Attempts were also made to overcome these objections as by the provision of a bust supportin which the weight of each breast was supported sling fashion from the opposite shoulder. However, none 02 these brassieres was found to be adequate or suitable, particularly for women having well developed or' heavy breasts, the brassieres made until the present time causing undue strain on r the shoulder straps and/or the crushing of the necessary support for well developed breasts without causing the latter to be crushed and without causing undue pain from improperly distributed strains.-

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a garment of the above mentioned type constructed so as to relieve the strain onthe muscles and to hold the breasts in their natural and/or'relaxed position without pressing, binding and/or flattening.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere which is so constructed that the weight of each breast is not only transmitted directly upwardly to the respective shoulder strap supporting the breast pocket forsaid breast, but said weight is also partially transmitted to the shoulder strap supporting the other breast pocket.

Another defect of the brassires or breast supports made until the present time resides in that the lower edge of these supports, in view of their general design, is cut so that, upon movement by the wearer, said edge will cut into the flesh substantially under the breasts and along the diaphragm portion of the body of the wearer. It is therefore a still further object of the present invention to provide a brassiere which will eliminate the above it mentioned undesirable pains and at' the same time prevent the breasts from falling out of the breast pockets.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein is shown a preferred embodiment of a brassiere constituting the object of the present invention, but it is obviously to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which will still fall within the scope of the appended claim.

According to the present invention there is provided a bust support or brassiere, which, broadly stated, comprises two breast pockets or mine, a pair of shoulder straps, and connections or means between each breast pocket or cup and the correspondingly opposite shoulder strap, the connections being so arranged and disposed that the weight, or at least a portion of the weight, of each breast is supported from and by the opposite shoulder.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, one end of each of the above mentioned connections is attached to the lower medial portion of the corresponding breast pocket or cup, the opposite ends of said connections being adapted, to be attached to the shoulder strap supporting the opposite or other breast pocket, said latter attachment being preferably at the point of attachment of said shoulder strap to said breast pocket or cup. More specifically, said connections are substantially triangular in form, the base of each of said trian ular-connections being attached to a breast pocket or cup substantially along a vertical line between the point of reception of the apex of the breast by such pocket and the lower edge or base of such breast pocket. The opposite end or apex of the triangular connection is provided with means for attachment either to the shoulder strap carried by the opposite shoulder, or substantially at the point where said shoulder strap is connected, attached or otherwise afiixed to the breast pocket or cup for the other breast.

From the above disclosure it is seen that the connections cross themselves as they pass from the lower portion of one breast pocket to the upper end of the other pocket or cup. It is also obvious from the above disclosure that the above arrangement of the connections provides the support of each of the breasts not only by the shoulder strap attached to the respective breast pocket, but also by the shoulder strap supporting the other breast pocket. This latter type of support, by the very nature, specific provision and arrangement of the aforementioned connections, is such as to cause the breasts to be supported from their lower portions. Such a transmission of the weight of the breasts, due to the specific manner of support thereof, prevents the crushing of the breasts, and at the same time permits the holding and supporting thereof in their natural and/or relaxed position.

To ensure the brassiere from cutting into the flesh along the front lower edge thereof, the breast pockets are cut and designed so as to provide a wedge-shaped opening or groove substantially at the point where the two pockets are stitched together, and where the brassiere covers the valley between the breasts. In the usual types of brassieres employed until the present time this wedge or groove, if made sumcient to justify the above mentioned object, would permit the breasts to fall out of their respective pockets. However, the provision of the crossconnections described above, as well as the use of under-supporting means which will be described in greater detail hereinbelow) permits the holding of the breasts in the brassiere pockets without any necessity of undue crushing of the breasts. The term under-supporting means", employed in the present specification and claim,

refers to a strip of material attached to the inside lower edge of the breast pockets in such a manner as to prevent the breasts from sliding under the pockets.

In order that these and other features of the invention may be more readily understood, reference is now made to the drawing disclosing a preferred but exemplary embodiment of the invention. In this drawing, wherein like numerals refer to like or similar parts:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view showing the preferred brassiere in position on a wearer, the view being taken substantially from the front of the wearer;

Figure 2 is a similar perspective view taken from the rear;

Figure 3 shows the front of the garment in extended position with the diagonally crossing connections in position;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of a portion of the reverse side of a breast pocket, showing the means for supporting the breast from underneath; and being a section along line 4-4 of Fig. 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of the reverse side of the brassiere showing the connection of the breast pockets and the breast under-supporting means which prevent the breasts from slipping out under the pockets.

Referring now tothe various figures, and more particularly to Figure 3, the brassire comprises two breast pockets l0 and II, which are made of any suitable material or fabric, and the general configuration of which, as apparent from the drawing, is such as to conform to the contour of the human breast. These breast pockets are roughly in the form of pyramids, their apexes being adapted to receive the respective apexes of the breasts.

The aforementioned pockets to and i! are.

stitched together, as at l3, where they meet in the valley between the breasts. The opposite sides of the pockets are provided with gradually narrowing strips l4 and I5, respectively, said strips being adapted, as this is shown in Figure 2,

to conform to the sides and back of the wearer either or both ends of the brassiere, the strips I 4 and directly carrying the connecting or uniting means I 3 and 20.

The brassire is provided with shoulder straps 22 and 23, each of which is stitched at one end to the top edge of the garment at 24 and 25.

.The opposite ends of these straps 22 and 23 are attached respectively to the breast pockets Ill and II at 26 and 21, said points being also on the top edge of the garment and substantially on a vertical line running through the apex of each of the breast pockets and, therefore, of the breast itself. It is obvious that the straps 22 and .23 may be, if desired, made of elastic material, and in some instances provided with adjustable means for regulating their lengths. Also, these straps maybe provided with means for attachment and detachment thereof to and from the breast pockets l0 and H.

The breast pockets l0 and H are also provided, on their reverse sides, with strips 30 and 3|, respectively. These strips ofmaterial are stitched to the inside lower edges 32 of the pockets. At I 3, where the two pockets are stitched together, the strips of material 30 and 3|, curve upwardly, are also stitched together and to the pockets, and provide additional supporting or pocket spaces 33 and 34 for the breasts. These strips 30 and 3| thus act as supports for the lower portions of the breasts and prevent them from slipping under the breast pockets.

The cross-connecting means described above and constituting one of the main features of the present invention comprise a pair of substantially triangular members 36 and 31 extending from about a vertical line through the apex of one of the breasts to substantially the points 26 or 21 of the other side of the brassiere. As shown in Figure 1, and more particularly in Figure 3, these triangular connections 36 and 31 are attached by their respective bases to the outside faces of the breast pockets l0 and H substantially along a vertical line extending from the apex of the breast to the lower edge 32 of the brassiere. The line of such attachment of the cross-connections 36 and 31 to the pockets is indicated by the numeral 38. The other ends of these connections are provided with means 39, such as hooks, buttons, etc., for attachment to the respectively opposite pockets substantially at the point of attachment thereto of the respective straps 22 and 23. If desired, the above connections may be made of elastic, or they may be provided with means for the regulation and control of their lengths.

It is obvious that the provision of the connections 36 and 31, and particularly the specific location and arrangement of these connections, permits the support of the breasts in their natural and/or relaxed condition, and also provides for the distribution of the weight of each of the breasts between the two straps.

It is also obvious that these connections, because they extend from around the lower portion of each of the breasts to substantially the upper end of the pocket for the other breast, avoid the crushing of the breasts and permits the proper support thereof.

As shown in Figure 3, the lower edge 32 of the brassire is cut so as to provide a rather deep wedge-shaped groove substantially in the valley between the breasts. The provision of this groove eliminates the cutting by said edge 32 of the flesh, especially when the wearer is in a stooping position. This highly desirable design of the lower edge of the brassire is not possible with the breast supports employed until the present time since the provision of such a wedge or groove in the ordinary brassieres would permit the breasts to slip out of the pockets. However, the provision of the under-supporting means or strips 30 and 3|, and particularly the use of the connections 36 and 31, permit the pockets to be designed so as to provide said desirable wedge or groove, and at the same time prevent the breasts from sliding out under the brassiere.

Various changes in the form, shape, proportion and other minor details of construction may be made without departing from the principle of the invention, the scope of which is limited only by the appended claim.

I claim:

A bust support comprising two breast pockets connected to each other, means attached to each of said breast pockets and adapted to pass around the body of the wearer and to be connected on the back thereof, shoulder straps attached to said breast pockets and to said aforementioned means, and means attached by one of their ends to each of said breast pockets substantially along a vertical line between the apex of each of said breast pockets and the lower edge thereof, and by their respective other ends substantially to the place of attachment of the shoulder straps to the respectively other of said pockets, thereby transmitting a portion of the weight of each of the breasts to the shoulder strap attached to the breast pocket for the other breast.

" LOLA SPARE. 

